When Brian Gutierrez was taken down in the 18-yard box by Dynamo goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell early in the second half of Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal, the Fire probably should have been awarded a penalty. If they had converted the spot kick, the Fire would have tied the score at 2 and had most of the final period to find a winner.
Unfortunately for the Fire, no penalty was called, and they eventually wilted in a 4-1 loss. To make something of a season that’s already teetering, the Fire must respond to adversity much better than they did against the Dynamo.
